Kitchen Overhaul

Rejuvenating the heart of the home

By JUDY ROYAL

As the summer heat begins to subside and fall looms on the horizon, the change of seasons offers the perfect time to tackle those home renovation projects you’ve been considering. The kitchen – often considered the most important and hard-working room in the home – is a popular space for homeowners to overhaul. Not only will a kitchen remodel make your living space more comfortable and practical, but it can also greatly increase the resale value of your residence. Given the significance and financial investment of a kitchen renovation, many homeowners opt for professional help for both the vision and labor. 

Are you ready to have the kitchen of your dreams? Markraft Cabinets of Wilmington is a good place to help you move from idea to execution. Established 30 years ago, the company specializes in cabinet and countertop design as well as installation for custom remodeling projects and new residential and commercial construction. Among the services Markraft offers are product selection, custom design, and installation. There is also a full-service warranty department to track and handle all post-job completion issues.

“Start by making an appointment to meet with a designer in the Markraft showroom,” Markraft designer Amanda Fisher said. “We are equipped to handle any project, no matter how big or small, right in one location. Our in-house licensed general contractor allows us to provide full remodel service from top to bottom. We are the sole point of contact. It’s seamless.” 

Markraft’s local Sales & Design Center is located at 2705 Castle Creek Lane in Wilmington. Find out more at markraft.com or by calling 910-427-5480. The following are three local kitchen remodel projects Markraft has recently tackled.

Carolina Beach

Older beach homes are full of charm, but they often come with poor, outdated kitchen layouts that don’t make the best use of space. The homeowners in this instance wanted to make their kitchen more modern while keeping the design simple and using warm colors to flow with other areas of the home.

Fisher changed the layout completely by removing an original peninsula and adding quartz countertops from Constrata, UltraCraft Cabinetry Avon Maple cabinets in Arctic White/Network Gray with Brown Linen, and a tile backsplash from Florida Tile Boston Series in Arctic White. The project took three months to complete.

“It turned out great,” Fisher said. “It really opened things up and warmed the feel of the entire space.” 

Landfall

“In this project, the owner was seeking a showcase kitchen, but did not think the original room was grand enough to match the rest of the home,” Fisher said.

“The homeowner’s mother was much of her inspiration,” she said. “She was an architect. The homeowner had some key ideas of things she wanted to see: a Carrara Herringbone backsplash, mullion glass, white cabinets. Taking those tidbits, I ran with it.”

The remodel opened up the kitchen by knocking out a walk-in pantry, cut into a laundry room closet to help square off the room, moved over a door, refinished the floors, and updated a bar area. Countertops are from Constrata, the backsplash is from Southeastern Tile Connection in Porcelain Carrara Herringbone in Matte Finish, and cabinets are Rockford in Arctic White from UltraCraft Cabinetry. The project was finished in four months.

“It came together perfectly, and we couldn’t be more pleased,” Fisher said.

Wrightsville Beach

A home purchase is often an opportunity for the new owners to customize a space to fit their needs and tastes. That was the case for this particular project.

“They just purchased the home, and the entire home needed to be updated,” Fisher said. “It was traditional, dated, and not their style. They also wanted to maximize the storage and counter space in the kitchen area.” 

Among the primary goals for the kitchen was updating to meet the rest of the renovation’s designs. This was achieved by rearranging the appliance layout to create a more open flow, changing the peninsula to open it up for more seating, and knocking out built-in closets.

Markraft handled the cabinets, countertops and backsplash installation. The homeowners worked with general contractor Phillip Swicegood of The Renovation Company in Wilmington for the remainder of the project.

The backsplash is from Florida Tile Boston Series in Arctic White, countertops are from Constrata in Silestone Calacatta Gold Quartz, and cabinets are from UltraCraft Cabinetry in Wicker Park Maple/Arctic White. The project took two months to complete.

“It turned out amazing,” Fisher said. “This is one of my favorite projects I’ve ever done. The customer is thrilled.”